Of War and Magic
by Charra Loon
Summary: As the last Pandaren emperor went on his journey to purge his burdens, a figure bears witness to his actions and foresees the eventual consequences, among other things.
1. The Lost Chapters

**From the Book of Burdens, Chapter 6**

**The Deal Maker**

Not long after Emperor Shaohao banished his own doubts and determined to rid himself of his burdens, a voice called out to him questioning his actions.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Dearie?" This voice asked, and Shaohao turned to see a strange creature unlike any he's seen before. The creature was quite thin, was barely the height of the Monkey King and he was dressed in leathers. His hair was dark and styled in locks and his skin, Shaohao noticed, was the color of raw gold. Curious, Shaohao asked the creature who he was. The creature gave no name, but refered to himself as a Deal Maker and asked Shaohao again if divesting his burdens was the best course of action. Shaohao replied that he will do what is necessary to protect his people and that the only hope to save his empire was to follow the Jade Serpent's advice by purifying himself.

"Banishing doubt isn't going to solve anything, Dearie." The Deal Maker said. "Doubt is what makes one question actions, question motives, to be sure one is doing the right thing. Blind faith is as bad as lingering doubt can be." But the Emperor would not be swayed from his quest and told the Deal Maker as much.

"Very well, but I give you these two warnings-one, banishing your burdens will not mean you no longer feel them. Second, all magic, Emperor, no matter the intentions behind them, has a price. This path you're treading is no exception, and I fear the price will be steep indeed, for you and your people." With that, the Deal Maker vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Sense of Balance**

After banishing his despair, Emperor Shaohao again saw the Deal Maker. This time, the being was acting as he was named and made a deal with a villager for gold. The Deal Maker conjured up a large wheel-like contraption and began spinning. The straw was wound on the wheel as as it spun, it turned to gold. The Deal Maker gave out this gold in exchange for a simple trinket the villager had, which was parted with pleasure. Shaohao inquired about the transaction and the trinket.

"Lovely piece, is it not?" The Deal Maker asked. "And all it took was a bit of gold, but oh a thousand bales of golden straw pale in comparison to the value of this bauble." Then the Deal Maker inquired on the Emperor's quest, to which Shaohao responded that he had just banished his despair and was now full of hope.

"Hope is a fine thing, Dearie, but the brightest hope comes from the wells of the darkest despair. One can not appreciate the positive notions, such as faith and hope, without experiencing the negative, such as doubt and despair. Those things are what make the former matter. Life needs to be savored, but it requires balance. It's not all light and happy endings after all. Good day to you, Emperor." And again, the Deal Maker vanished but Shaohao felt dread when he noticed the trinket the Deal Maker had was marked with a crest.

A crest of lightning.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Inquiring of Deals**

Emperor Shaohao again ran into the Deal Maker after purging himself of his fears and used the opportunity to inquire about the trinket he took. The Deal Maker explained that yes, he knew the trinket was one that once belonged to the Thunder King and yes, he took it anyway. Shaohao then asked if the Deal Maker would offer one of his deals to the dreaded Mogu.

"I make deals with those who ask for them, Dearie." The Deal Maker said. "The Mogu aren't known for their negociation skills, however. In fact, one such demanded that I give him glory from ages past. He's reveling in it now, in a matter of speaking." The Deal Maker motioned Shaohao to follow him, and the Emperor did, not afraid to face this Mogu who made a deal for glory of the days when the Mogu ruled. The Deal Maker led him to a clearing and Shaohao saw the Mogu, an Imperion, dead from a Mantid attack. Confused, Shaohao asked about the sight he sees.

"The Mogu wanted glory, he demanded I give him glory from the days when his people ruled. Well, glory is much like beauty, truth and purity-it's all in the eye of the beholder. He sought his glory and I gave it to him, I gave him a battle to be glory in and well...you can see the price he paid." Shaohao then realized the Deal Maker led this Mogu to his death; he gave the Mogu his glory at the expense of his life. Glory, yes, a glorious death in combat. He accused the Deal Maker of tricking the Mogu.

"I did no such thing." The Deal Maker said. "It was his choice to make a deal with me, his choice to sign the contract. I even warned him against his actions, just as I did you when you first began your quest, but he was too obsessed with days long past to listen. People I've dealt with tend to be too greedy and desperate to heed any warnings given. He even tried to take my magic from me, for the Mogu have no concept of compromise, nor of keeping their word. They think themselves kings and emperors of all they see and thus they shouldn't have to pay for anything; such a pity they never realized the true meaning of ruling means caring for your people, not subjugating them. Ahh well, it's a very good thing for you that glory is relative. Suppose this Mogu was alive and had power not seen in ages since the Thunder King?" Shaohao was perplexed by the question, and noted that that wasn't the case here.

"I know, Dearie. Fear tempers those who would put themselves in danger, no matter their intentions; fear is what keeps people from taking reckless action and endangering themselves and others. Courage is fine, but true courage means to be brave despite one's fears, as opposed to banishing fear altogether." The Deal Maker vanished in his usual way, leaving Shaohao to comprehend the words said here.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

**A Very Thin Line**

Soon after Emperor Shaohao banished his anger, hatred and violent tendencies, the Deal Maker came once again. This time he was watching the Emperor, with such an intensity as to cause concern.

"Your journey of purity is near its end, Dearie." The Deal Maker remarked. "I do hope you understand what you're doing." The Emperor told him that he felt like light and that he had taken precautions against the negative energy he banished. He told the Deal Maker of the Shado-Pan he established tasked to restrain and control the Sha, which his negativity has become. The Deal Maker just shook his head.

"There's a thin line between love and hate, Dearie. It's very easy for the two to intertwine with each other. Anger is something that needs to be dealt with, yes, but anger must be controlled and channeled into postive notions, not buried in the ground to fester. As for violence, how would you expect to defend your land against violent invaders without becoming violent yourself? Even then, violence is something to be channeled, not banished. Your Shado-Pan will make good guardians for your land, Emperor, but they are only mortal. They need to know the difference between self-control and repression. The latter will only make these dark emotions much more intense, to the point of them exploding like a geyser." The Emperor disagreed and bade the Deal Maker be on his way. All of this was witnessed by another, one the Deal Maker made note to visit at a later date, and it was to this pandaren the Emperor relayed all of the visits made by the Deal Maker.

* * *

**Second Epilogue**

**The Deal Maker's Gift**

Emperor Shaohao was granted one last visit by the Deal Maker, the day he made attempts to separate Pandaria from the rest of the world. As the Sha began to manifest all over the land, he looked to the Deal Maker who had arrived, unsure of why he was feeling what he banished.

"I warned you long ago, Emperor, that banishing your darker emotions wouldn't mean you didn't feel them anymore." The Deal Maker said. "I also warned you that to bury them and repress them would only make them that much worse. One can not have darkness without light, Dearie; did your Jade Serpent not say to become one with the land?" Shaohao remembered those words, and the other words the Deal Maker had told him-all magic has a price. This was confirmed by the Jade Serpent, who confirmed these words as she explained that his enemies at the west were as part of the land as his empire. As he merged with the land, the Deal Maker bore witness, knowing that darkness and light could not exist without each other. Once Pandaria was shrouded in the mists, the Deal Maker went to Kun-Lai and spoke with the pandaren whom Shaohao confided about him, and who had witnessed their conversation there. By the time he arrived, word had spread about what the Emperor had accomplished and the pandaren the Deal Maker saw asked him why he was here.

"To give you a warning, Dearie." The Deal Maker explained, and gave the pandaren a bowl-shaped candle. "Shaohao's actions will have consequences for your land, when these consequences will happen I can't tell, but they will come. I've no doubt of your Shado-Pan to handle things, but it's only a matter of time before the Sha become too much even for you and yours to bear. This candle is a way of summoning me should you need aid with this or anything else; bleed into the bowl, light the candle and say the incantation that's carved onto it. I will do what I can, but remember this Dearie-all magic has a price. This is no exception." The Deal Maker then vanished in a puff of smoke, with the pandaren storing the candle away and repeating the story of the Deal Maker to one who would succeed him, and the story would be passed down to all who would become Lord of the Shado-Pan. It was said that as each new Lord ascended to the title, a shadow has been felt. It could be the Deal Maker watching as the Shado-Pan changed leadership, maybe even watching over the order in his own way, but the candle he gave the first Lord was still in storage and its incantaion, still on the bowl, was memorized as the candle was passed down to each new Lord and went as such:

_"Deal Maker, I call on you;_  
_Across the Nether from a world within._  
_I offer a trade, shall pay what is due._  
_I call you Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin."_


	2. Journal of the Deal Maker

_Journal Entry ?_

_It had been many years since I first traversed that world known as Azeroth. Time zones tend to be tricky when other worlds are involved, even without a cursed town of frozen time. As I write this, ten millenia has past in Azeroth since the world sundered itself, ten millenia since I followed the last emperor of the Pandaren Empire on his quest to purge himself of his "burdens", his negative emotions. I still visit Pandaria from time to time, that and the other three continents of Azeroth, but mostly Pandaria, the place intrigues me for some reason. Ten thousand years...and I still think Emperor Shaohao a fool. His journey is legendary among his people, the "Book of Burdens" depicting his tale praises him for being in harmony and saying how he purged his seven burdens. Seven burdens he had, seven burdens he sought to bury in the land, but he only succeeded with six. He managed to banish his doubt, his despair, his fear, his anger, violence and hatred...but he was unable to banish his pride._

_The same pride that cloaked Pandaria in impenetrable mists as the world sundered itself the first time, the same pride that isolated his realm from everywhere else. This is why he is a fool-he thought the pandaren, indeed Pandaria, better than the rest of the world. The Sha, the results of his actions, plague Pandaria if their corresponding negativity is allowed to fester. There's one of pride, even, though that hasn't manifested in a physical form like the others-Sha of Pride..Sha of Arrogance would be more fitting, for that was the result of his pride. Arrogance. I know I am one to talk, but I admit it freely and embrace the balance I must maintain within myself. I at least am not so stupid as to just take all my darker impulses and bury them in the ground where they'll fester and grow as the people who live in the land I buried them in contribute to their strength with every cross moment or lapse in confidence or a moment of uncertainty. The Pandaren people have, since that time, trained themselves to show compassion, to settle arguments quickly and to embrace life to the fullest. As I've seen them over the years I visited, they have become a very friendly, very appreciative people who live in the moment and embrace life, good or bad, whether they live on the mainland or on the Wandering Isle. They accept the darker emotions, and deal with them, keep them in check so as not to make the Sha stronger in the case of those who stayed on Pandaria. I had warned Shaohao long ago that there was a difference between self-control and repression, which he refused to listen to. His people have appeared to be wiser than he was, even the Shado-Pan who have been guarding Pandaria. Even they, with their sworn duties to protect the land, live their lives to the fullest, in their own way. Fine, they may keep emotions out of their tasks, but it's not like they reject feelings altogether. I have seen some Shado-Pan live, love, marry, have families...all the while balancing out those lives with their sworn oaths as the "Sword in the Shadows" and "Watchers on the Wall", which reminds me, I need to obtain a copy of their blood oath some day and there are some who are released from their blood oath and retire, while still alive though that is rare. The Mantid and Yangoul have still been a problem for the Pandaren, the former more so due to their centennial swarm, the Mogu still seek their former glory with no success, thanks in part to the Shado-Pan. I say in part because I have come across one or two, from time to time, and let's say there were some...disagreements over collateral regarding some deals. One would think they would learn from losing their empire that they aren't gods and that even they must pay a price for things. For my part, I'm not holding my breath._

_Speaking of the Shado-Pan, my last visit to them had to be about a century ago their time, they had just beaten back the swarm and their leader was struck with a poisoned blade during the final assault. I knew this because the candle I had given to the first Lord is linked to me, I needed a way to keep an eye on things somehow. How else would I know when the Shado-Pan obtained a new Lord every time? I arrived to see his son and successor ascend as the new Lord of the Shado-Pan, as I have done with each of his predecessors, though as usual I make sure to keep out of sight. They know, though, the Lords, when I come, and as I see the young warrior ascend, I noticed he had the candle in one of his pouches. None of the other Lords kept it on their person, but from what I had observed during my visits to the monastery and the battlefields, Taran is quite devoted to his homeland and to its protection. He's also pragmatic, a sound strategist and tactician and has the potential to be a mighty leader (though I attribute that last one to the fact that a Shado-Pan lord must be well-versed in all three disciplines of the order. That and the swathes of mantid, yangoul, Sha and mogu he's slain since taking up the oath, but mostly that). Knowing him as well as I do based on observation, the candle is either a test of temptation, an affirmation that my help or any help from outsiders is unnecessary, or a last resort to turn to when all other options are exhausted. I can recognize a desperate soul, and however Taran believes that his people will stand strong on their own (which they have for millenia), when it comes down to it he would do anything to protect his people and his homeland, pay any price for their well-being._

_Even deal with me. Even when the price to be paid is one I name._

_I pray for him sometimes, as he has a tendency to put duty above all else no matter the consequence, especially when I last visited Azeroth itself. The rest of the world has been engaged in war, starting in the Eastern Kingdoms, spreading to Kalimdor and then to Northrend where the dead rule. Literally. I was there when the world sundered a second time and when they killed the dragon responsible. I sense a pattern here; fight each other, unite against a common enemy at the last possible moment, then turn on each other again. Given the rate this "Horde" and "Alliance" go at it, the Burning Legion won't be able to destroy Azeroth-those two factions will have saved the demons the trouble. Azeroth is dying, I could feel it, losing two of its Aspects first to madness, then death, is taking its toll on this world. It's only a matter of time before it self-destructs altogether, yet those two factions keep fighting. They'll only speed up the process. But the most astonishing thing in the wake of this second sundering is what happened to Pandaria. The mists have disappated upon the sundering. For the first time in ten millenia, Pandaria is once again a part of the world, though those idiots don't realize it-yet. They will, though, and when they do I rather pity Taran when he has to deal with them; for years, those Horde and Alliance have been fighting over the world like children, each side seeking endless retaliation against the other for any number of reasons like children brawling on a playground. Perhaps Taran will be the adult that's long needed to sit those idiots down and make them come to some sort of peace accord, gods know someone needs to be; time will tell whether Pandaria will end their stupid fighting, or escalate it._

_One thing is certain, Dearie, I do wish you the best of luck with them. You're going to need it._


End file.
